By Watch out, Playdate
Patents don’t always lead to something, but it’s still interesting to see what companies might be up to or at least thinking about behind closed doors.
In the case of Switch 2, Nintendo has already delivered some unique features like Joy-Con 2’s mouse mode, and now a few other ideas have seemingly surfaced. This information comes from the World Intellectual Property Organization (via Nintendo Patents Watch on social media), which highlights attachments for a “crank” and what’s described as a “clickable wheel”.
The crank has a “rotary disc which is tracked by the mouse sensor through a window”, with two magnets securing the attachment. According to the same source, the “clickable wheel” rotation is tracked by the mouse sensor via a gear train and “its click is transmitted to the SL button”. This attachment also includes a second button to press the SR button.
As for what this could lead to…one obvious guess is some sort of fishing-like accessory and game. Some other suggestions online are joking about Nintendo channelling the Playdate’s crank. If we do see anything come of this, or get more information about what might be going on here, we’ll let you know.
What do you think Nintendo could be up to here? Tell us in the comments.
[source patentscope.wipo.int, via bsky.app, nintendoeverything.com]
Liam is a news writer and reviewer across Hookshot Media. He’s been writing about games for more than 15 years and is a lifelong fan of many iconic video game characters.